School woes seen as deeper than funding

The process of finding a better way to pay for schools in Illinois can’t simply be a discussion about the problems with the school-funding formula, one lawmaker says.

Comments by state Sen. Jason Barickman came after a meeting this week after which he added that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s education-funding commission will have to talk about solutions.

Barickman, R-Normal, a member of the commission, said Illinois’ education-funding commission has spent the past few months getting acquainted with the problems of paying for schools. The topic of this week’s meeting was the inequities of the PTELL grant.

Eventually, however, Barickman said the commission must figure out some solutions.

“Somehow, we have to come to whatever agreement we’re going to come to on the commission,” Barickman said.

That could be an up or down vote from the commission on school-funding changes, or simply a list of reforms that the commission members all support.

“I think if a group of Republicans and Democrats that includes Republicans and Democrats from the Illinois House put their names on something that says, ‘Here are 10 bullet points that I’m supporting,’ I think that carries weight,” Barickman said.

But the commission still has plenty to talk about when it comes to the mechanics of Illinois school funding. The commission’s next meeting will focus on pensions.

“It is a slow grind as we proceed methodically through these issues,” Barickman said.

The commission has a February deadline to deliver a package of reforms to lawmakers. Rauner wants the full General Assembly to vote on something by the end of May.